Bulgaria’s President: Our joint trip with Pendarovski to Rome is a wonderful occasion to renew dialogue between the two countries

bulgariarsquos president our joint trip pendarovski rome wonderful occasion renew dialogue between two countries

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18:59, 26.05.2021

The Presidents of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia flew to Rome and the Vatican on May 26, where the traditional audience with the Head of the Roman Catholic Church for the Feast of Bulgarian Education and Culture will take place. The two will honour together the work of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius.

On its way to Rome, the Bulgarian government plane stopped in Skopje to pick up a delegation from North Macedonia led by President Stevo Pendarovski. Pendarovski personally met the Bulgarian head of state at the airport, after which the two had a short meeting.

Speaking to media after the meeting, Radev thanked Pendarovski for the hospitality and said:

"Our joint trip to Rome to pay homage to the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius is a wonderful occasion to renew the dialogue between our two countries at the highest level, and to declare our common will to develop our relations in a spirit of cooperation, friendship and good neighbourliness ".

Stevo Pendarovski said they would use the trip to Rome to discuss current issues related to joint relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. He clarified that now their meeting at the airport was short - it was a "friendly coffee drink" and they discussed the decisions of the European Council in Brussels.

Pendarovski said he hoped as friends to discuss even the most difficult issues. I hope that what divides us will bring us closer, he said.

This is the first time the two heads of state have travelled together to Rome to honour the work of Sts Cyril and Methodius. Their delegations include key ministers for education and culture. In the situation of a delicate phase in which the Skopje-Sofia relations are, the visit of the heads of state is extremely important.

Bulgaria continues to insist on compliance with the 2017 Neighbourhood and Cooperation Agreement and respect for its national interests and security, which was confirmed by the caretaker government. On May 24th, President Rumen Radev also pointed out that the path for Republic of North Macedonia's European integration passes through Sofia.

Stevo Pendarovski, again a few days ago, noted that this is a good gesture on both sides in anticipation of the upcoming talks. Pendarovski stressed that the conversation between the two will be an informal but full-fledged conversation between two gentlemen.

Yesterday, President Radev said that he expects that there would be a roadmap to the negotiating framework with the Republic of North Macedonia.so that Bulgaria can assess whether its interests are protected.

He reminded that Bulgaria will not confirm the negotiating framework until the historical disputes are resolved and the hate speech is stopped.

According to Rumen Radev, it is important to have an active dialogue between Skopje and Sofia, in which to solve bilateral problems calmly and responsibly.

Presidents Radev and Pendarovski will jointly commemorate the work of Cyril and Methodius brothers in Rome